Compound Lenses for Multi-Source Data Presentation

ABSTRACT

According to an embodiment of the present invention, an appearance of a lens in an image is displayed. The appearance of the lens includes a focal region having a focal region having a magnification and a plurality of facets. The facets display information from respective layers of the image. The appearance of the lens also includes a base defining an extent of the appearance of the lens in the image. Additionally, the appearance of the lens includes a shoulder region between the focal region and the base. The shoulder region provides context for the focal region with respect to portions of the image outside of the appearance of the lens by preserving visibility of information surrounding the focal region.

This application claims priority to and is a continuation of U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 11/236,694, filed on Sep. 28, 2005. Thisapplication also claims priority from U.S. Pat. Appl. No. 60/613,730filed on Sep. 29, 2004. Both of these applications are incorporatedherein in their entireties.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to the field of computer graphics processing, andmore specifically, to a method and system for displaying compounddetail-in-context lenses for multi-source detail-in-context datapresentations.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Modern computer graphics systems, including virtual environment systems,are used for numerous applications such as mapping, navigation, flighttraining, surveillance, and even playing computer games. In general,these applications are launched by the computer graphics system'soperating system upon selection by a user from a menu or other graphicaluser interface (“GUI”). A GUI is used to convey information to andreceive commands from users and generally includes a variety of GUIobjects or controls, including icons, toolbars, drop-down menus, text,dialog boxes, buttons, and the like. A user typically interacts with aGUI by using a pointing device (e.g., a mouse) to position a pointer orcursor over an object and “clicking” on the object.

One problem with these computer graphics systems is their inability toeffectively display detailed information for selected graphic objectswhen those objects are in the context of a larger image. A user mayrequire access to detailed information with respect to an object inorder to closely examine the object, to interact with the object, or tointerface with an external application or network through the object.For example, the detailed information may be a close-up view of theobject or a region of a digital map image.

While an application may provide a GUI for a user to access and viewdetailed information for a selected object in a larger image, in doingso, the relative location of the object in the larger image may be lostto the user. Thus, while the user may have gained access to the detailedinformation required to interact with the object, the user may losesight of the context within which that object is positioned in thelarger image. This is especially so when the user must interact with theGUI using a computer mouse or keyboard. The interaction may furtherdistract the user from the context in which the detailed information isto be understood. This problem is an example of what is often referredto as the “screen real estate problem”.

A need therefore exists for an improved method and system forcontrolling detailed views of selected information within the context ofsurrounding information presented on the display of a computer graphicssystem. Accordingly, a solution that addresses, at least in part, theabove and other shortcomings is desired.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

According to one aspect of the invention, there is provided a method ina computer system for generating a presentation of a region-of-interestin an original image for display on a display screen, the original imagehaving one or more images relating to the region-of-interest, the methodcomprising: establishing a lens for the region-of-interest, the lenshaving a focal region with a magnification for the region-of-interest atleast partially surrounded by a shoulder region across which themagnification varies to provide a continuous transition from the focalregion to regions outside the lens; subdividing the focal region intoone or more facets, each facet for displaying a respective imagerelating to the region-of-interest; and, applying the lens to theoriginal image to produce the presentation.

In accordance with further aspects of the present invention there isprovided an apparatus such as a data processing system, a method foradapting this system, as well as articles of manufacture such as acomputer readable medium having program instructions recorded thereonfor practising the method of the invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Further features and advantages of the embodiments of the presentinvention will become apparent from the following detailed description,taken in combination with the appended drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a graphical representation illustrating the geometry forconstructing a three-dimensional perspective viewing frustum, relativeto an x, y, z coordinate system, in accordance with elastic presentationspace graphics technology;

FIG. 2 is a graphical representation illustrating the geometry of apresentation in accordance with elastic presentation space graphicstechnology;

FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating a data processing system adaptedfor implementing an embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 4 is a partial screen capture illustrating a GUI having lenscontrol elements for user interaction with detail-in-context datapresentations in accordance with an embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 5 is a screen capture illustrating a detail-in-context presentationfor multi-source data, the presentation having a compound lens andassociated GUI, in accordance with an embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 6 is a detail view illustrating the compound lens of FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is a screen capture illustrating an alternate detail-in-contextpresentation for multi-source data, the presentation having a compoundlens and associated GUI, in accordance with an embodiment of theinvention;

FIG. 8 is a screen capture illustrating a detail-in-context presentationfor multi-source data, the presentation having a simplex lens andassociated GUI for a selected facet of the compound lens of FIG. 7, inaccordance with an embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 9 is a flow chart illustrating operations of software moduleswithin the memory of a data processing system for generating apresentation of a region-of-interest in an original image for display ona display screen, the original image having one or more images relatingto the region-of-interest, in accordance with an embodiment of theinvention.

It will be noted that throughout the appended drawings, like featuresare identified by like reference numerals.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

In the following description, numerous specific details are set forth toprovide a thorough understanding of the invention. However, it isunderstood that the invention may be practiced without these specificdetails. In other instances, well-known software, circuits, structuresand techniques have not been described or shown in detail in order notto obscure the invention. The term “data processing system” is usedherein to refer to any machine for processing data, including thecomputer systems and network arrangements described herein. The presentinvention may be implemented in any computer programming languageprovided that the operating system of the data processing systemprovides the facilities that may support the requirements of the presentinvention. Any limitations presented would be a result of a particulartype of operating system or computer programming language and would notbe a limitation of the present invention.

The “screen real estate problem” generally arises whenever large amountsof information are to be displayed on a display screen of limited size.Known tools to address this problem include panning and zooming. Whilethese tools are suitable for a large number of visual displayapplications, they become less effective where sections of the visualinformation are spatially related, such as in layered maps andthree-dimensional representations, for example. In this type ofinformation display, panning and zooming are not as effective as much ofthe context of the panned or zoomed display may be hidden.

A recent solution to this problem is the application of“detail-in-context” presentation techniques. Detail-in-context is themagnification of a particular region-of-interest (the “focal region” or“detail”) in a data presentation while preserving visibility of thesurrounding information (the “context”). This technique hasapplicability to the display of large surface area media (e.g. digitalmaps) on computer screens of variable size including graphicsworkstations, laptop computers, personal digital assistants (“PDAs”),and cell phones.

In the detail-in-context discourse, differentiation is often madebetween the terms “representation” and “presentation”. A representationis a formal system, or mapping, for specifying raw information or datathat is stored in a computer or data processing system. For example, adigital map of a city is a representation of raw data including streetnames and the relative geographic location of streets and utilities.Such a representation may be displayed visually on a computer screen orprinted on paper. On the other hand, a presentation is a spatialorganization of a given representation that is appropriate for the taskat hand. Thus, a presentation of a representation organizes such thingsas the point of view and the relative emphasis of different parts orregions of the representation. For example, a digital map of a city maybe presented with a region magnified to reveal street names.

In general, a detail-in-context presentation may be considered as adistorted view (or distortion) of a portion of the originalrepresentation or image where the distortion is the result of theapplication of a “lens” like distortion function to the originalrepresentation. A detailed review of various detail-in-contextpresentation techniques such as “Elastic Presentation Space” (“EPS”) (or“Pliable Display Technology” (“PDT”)) may be found in a publication byMarianne S. T. Carpendale, entitled “A Framework for ElasticPresentation Space” (Carpendale, Marianne S. T., A Framework for ElasticPresentation Space (Burnaby, British Columbia: Simon Fraser University,1999)), and incorporated herein by reference.

In general, detail-in-context data presentations are characterized bymagnification of areas of an image where detail is desired, incombination with compression of a restricted range of areas of theremaining information (i.e. the context), the result typically givingthe appearance of a lens having been applied to the display surface.Using the techniques described by Carpendale, points in a representationare displaced in three dimensions and a perspective projection is usedto display the points on a two-dimensional presentation display. Thus,when a lens is applied to a two-dimensional continuous surfacerepresentation, for example, the resulting presentation appears to bethree-dimensional. In other words, the lens transformation appears tohave stretched the continuous surface in a third dimension. In EPSgraphics technology, a two-dimensional visual representation is placedonto a surface; this surface is placed in three-dimensional space; thesurface, containing the representation, is viewed through perspectiveprojection; and the surface is manipulated to effect the reorganizationof image details. The presentation transformation is separated into twosteps: surface manipulation or distortion and perspective projection.

FIG. 1 is a graphical representation illustrating the geometry 100 forconstructing a three-dimensional (“3D”) perspective viewing frustum 220,relative to an x, y, z coordinate system, in accordance with knownelastic presentation space (EPS) graphics technology. In EPS technology,detail-in-context views of two-dimensional (“2D”) visual representationsare created with sight-line aligned distortions of a 2D informationpresentation surface within a 3D perspective viewing frustum 220. InEPS, magnification of regions of interest and the accompanyingcompression of the contextual region to accommodate this change in scaleare produced by the movement of regions of the surface towards theviewpoint (“VP”) 240 located at the apex of the pyramidal shape 220containing the frustum. The process of projecting these transformedlayouts via a perspective projection results in a new 2D layout whichincludes the zoomed and compressed regions. The use of the thirddimension and perspective distortion to provide magnification in EPSprovides a meaningful metaphor for the process of distorting theinformation presentation surface. The 3D manipulation of the informationpresentation surface in such a system is an intermediate step in theprocess of creating a new 2D layout of the information.

FIG. 2 is a graphical representation illustrating the geometry 200 of apresentation in accordance with known EPS graphics technology. EPSgraphics technology employs viewer-aligned perspective projections toproduce detail-in-context presentations in a reference view plane 201which may be viewed on a display. Undistorted 2D data points are locatedin a basal plane 210 of a 3D perspective viewing volume or frustum 220which is defined by extreme rays 221 and 222 and the basal plane 210.The VP 240 is generally located above the centre point of the basalplane 210 and reference view plane (“RVP”) 201. Points in the basalplane 210 are displaced upward onto a distorted surface 230 which isdefined by a general 3D distortion function (i.e. a detail-in-contextdistortion basis function). The direction of the perspective projectioncorresponding to the distorted surface 230 is indicated by the lineFPo—FP 231 drawn from a point FPo 232 in the basal plane 210 through thepoint FP 233 which corresponds to the focus or focal region or focalpoint of the distorted surface 230. Typically, the perspectiveprojection has a direction 231 that is viewer-aligned (i.e., the pointsFPo 232, FP 233, and VP 240 are collinear).

EPS is applicable to multidimensional data and is well suited toimplementation on a computer for dynamic detail-in-context display on anelectronic display surface such as a monitor. In the case of twodimensional data, EPS is typically characterized by magnification ofareas of an image where detail is desired 233, in combination withcompression of a restricted range of areas of the remaining information(i.e. the context) 234, the end result typically giving the appearanceof a lens 230 having been applied to the display surface. The areas ofthe lens 230 where compression occurs may be referred to as the“shoulder” 234 of the lens 230. The area of the representationtransformed by the lens may be referred to as the “lensed area”. Thelensed area thus includes the focal region and the shoulder. Toreiterate, the source image or representation to be viewed is located inthe basal plane 210. Magnification 233 and compression 234 are achievedthrough elevating elements of the source image relative to the basalplane 210, and then projecting the resultant distorted surface onto thereference view plane 201. EPS performs detail-in-context presentation ofn-dimensional data through the use of a procedure wherein the data ismapped into a region in an (n+1) dimensional space, manipulated throughperspective projections in the (n+1) dimensional space, and then finallytransformed back into n-dimensional space for presentation. EPS hasnumerous advantages over conventional zoom, pan, and scrolltechnologies, including the capability of preserving the visibility ofinformation outside 234 the local region of interest 233.

For example, and referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, in two dimensions, EPS canbe implemented through the projection of an image onto a reference plane201 in the following manner. The source image or representation islocated on a basal plane 210, and those regions of interest 233 of theimage for which magnification is desired are elevated so as to move themcloser to a reference plane situated between the reference viewpoint 240and the reference view plane 201. Magnification of the focal region 233closest to the RVP 201 varies inversely with distance from the RVP 201.As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, compression of regions 234 outside the focalregion 233 is a function of both distance from the RVP 201, and thegradient of the function describing the vertical distance from the RVP201 with respect to horizontal distance from the focal region 233. Theresultant combination of magnification 233 and compression 234 of theimage as seen from the reference viewpoint 240 results in a lens-likeeffect similar to that of a magnifying glass applied to the image.Hence, the various functions used to vary the magnification andcompression of the source image via vertical displacement from the basalplane 210 are described as lenses, lens types, or lens functions. Lensfunctions that describe basic lens types with point and circular focalregions, as well as certain more complex lenses and advancedcapabilities such as folding, have previously been described byCarpendale.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram of a data processing system 300 adapted toimplement an embodiment of the invention. The data processing system 300is suitable for implementing EPS technology, for displayingdetail-in-context presentations of representations in conjunction with adetail-in-context graphical user interface (GUI) 400, as describedbelow, and for controlling detail-in-context lenses in detail-in-contextpresentations. The data processing system 300 includes an input device310, a central processing unit (“CPU”) 320, memory 330, a display 340,and an interface device 350. The input device 310 may include akeyboard, a mouse, a trackball, a position tracking device, an eyetracking device, or a similar device. The CPU 320 may include dedicatedcoprocessors and memory devices. The memory 330 may include RAM, ROM,databases, or disk devices. The display 340 may include a computerscreen, terminal device, or a hardcopy producing output device such as aprinter or plotter. And, the interface device 350 may include aninterface to a network (not shown) such as the Internet. Thus, the dataprocessing system 300 may be linked to other data processing systems(not shown) by a network (not shown). The data processing system 300 hasstored therein data representing sequences of instructions which whenexecuted cause the method described herein to be performed. Of course,the data processing system 300 may contain additional software andhardware a description of which is not necessary for understanding theinvention.

Thus, the data processing system 300 includes computer executableprogrammed instructions for directing the system 300 to implement theembodiments of the present invention. The programmed instructions may beembodied in one or more software modules 331 resident in the memory 330of the data processing system 300. Alternatively, the programmedinstructions may be embodied on a computer readable medium (such as a CDdisk or floppy disk) which may be used for transporting the programmedinstructions to the memory 330 of the data processing system 300.Alternatively, the programmed instructions may be embedded in acomputer-readable, signal-bearing medium that is uploaded to a networkby a vendor or supplier of the programmed instructions, and thissignal-bearing medium may be downloaded through an interface to the dataprocessing system 300 from the network by end users or potential buyers.

As mentioned, detail-in-context presentations of data using techniquessuch as pliable surfaces, as described by Carpendale, are useful inpresenting large amounts of information on limited-size displaysurfaces. Detail-in-context views allow magnification of a particularregion-of-interest (the “focal region”) 233 in a data presentation whilepreserving visibility of the surrounding information 210. In thefollowing, a GUI 400 is described having lens control elements that canbe implemented in software and applied to the control ofdetail-in-context data presentations. The software can be loaded intoand run by the data processing system 300 of FIG. 3.

FIG. 4 is a partial screen capture illustrating a GUI 400 having lenscontrol elements for user interaction with detail-in-context datapresentations in accordance with an embodiment of the invention.Detail-in-context data presentations are characterized by magnificationof areas of an image where detail is desired, in combination withcompression of a restricted range of areas of the remaining information(i.e. the context), the end result typically giving the appearance of alens having been applied to the display screen surface. This lens 410includes a “focal region” 420 having high magnification, a surrounding“shoulder region” 430 where information is typically visibly compressed,and a “base” 412 surrounding the shoulder region 430 and defining theextent of the lens 410. In FIG. 4, the lens 410 is shown with a circularshaped base 412 (or outline) and with a focal region 420 lying near thecenter of the lens 410. However, the lens 410 and focal region 420 mayhave any desired shape. As mentioned above, the base of the lens 412 maybe coextensive with the focal region 420.

In general, the GUI 400 has lens control elements that, in combination,provide for the interactive control of the lens 410. The effectivecontrol of the characteristics of the lens 410 by a user (i.e., dynamicinteraction with a detail-in-context lens) is advantageous. At any giventime, one or more of these lens control elements may be made visible tothe user on the display surface 340 by appearing as overlay icons on thelens 410. Interaction with each element is performed via the motion ofan input or pointing device 310 (e.g., a mouse) with the motionresulting in an appropriate change in the corresponding lenscharacteristic. As will be described, selection of which lens controlelement is actively controlled by the motion of the pointing device 310at any given time is determined by the proximity of the iconrepresenting the pointing device 310 (e.g. cursor) on the displaysurface 340 to the appropriate component of the lens 410. For example,“dragging” of the pointing device at the periphery of the boundingrectangle of the lens base 412 causes a corresponding change in the sizeof the lens 410 (i.e. “resizing”). Thus, the GUI 400 provides the userwith a visual representation of which lens control element is beingadjusted through the display of one or more corresponding icons.

For ease of understanding, the following discussion will be in thecontext of using a two-dimensional pointing device 310 that is a mouse,but it will be understood that the invention may be practiced with other2D or 3D (or even greater numbers of dimensions) input devices includinga trackball, a keyboard, a position tracking device, an eye trackingdevice, an input from a navigation device, etc.

A mouse 310 controls the position of a cursor icon 401 that is displayedon the display screen 340. The cursor 401 is moved by moving the mouse310 over a flat surface, such as the top of a desk, in the desireddirection of movement of the cursor 401. Thus, the two-dimensionalmovement of the mouse 310 on the flat surface translates into acorresponding two-dimensional movement of the cursor 401 on the displayscreen 340.

A mouse 310 typically has one or more finger actuated control buttons(i.e. mouse buttons). While the mouse buttons can be used for differentfunctions such as selecting a menu option pointed at by the cursor 401,the disclosed invention may use a single mouse button to “select” a lens410 and to trace the movement of the cursor 401 along a desired path.Specifically, to select a lens 410, the cursor 401 is first locatedwithin the extent of the lens 410. In other words, the cursor 401 is“pointed” at the lens 410. Next, the mouse button is depressed andreleased. That is, the mouse button is “clicked”. Selection is thus apoint and click operation. To trace the movement of the cursor 401, thecursor 401 is located at the desired starting location, the mouse buttonis depressed to signal the computer 320 to activate a lens controlelement, and the mouse 310 is moved while maintaining the buttondepressed. After the desired path has been traced, the mouse button isreleased. This procedure is often referred to as “clicking” and“dragging” (i.e. a click and drag operation). It will be understood thata predetermined key on a keyboard 310 could also be used to activate amouse click or drag. In the following, the term “clicking” will refer tothe depression of a mouse button indicating a selection by the user andthe term “dragging” will refer to the subsequent motion of the mouse 310and cursor 401 without the release of the mouse button.

The GUI 400 may include the following lens control elements: move,pickup, resize base, resize focus, fold, magnify, zoom, and scoop. Eachof these lens control elements has at least one lens control icon oralternate cursor icon associated with it. In general, when a lens 410 isselected by a user through a point and click operation, the followinglens control icons may be displayed over the lens 410: pickup icon 450,base outline icon 412, base bounding rectangle icon 411, focal regionbounding rectangle icon 421, handle icons 481, 482, 491, 492 magnifyslide bar icon 440, zoom icon 495, and scoop slide bar icon (not shown).Typically, these icons are displayed simultaneously after selection ofthe lens 410. In addition, when the cursor 401 is located within theextent of a selected lens 410, an alternate cursor icon 460, 470, 480,490, 495 may be displayed over the lens 410 to replace the cursor 401 ormay be displayed in combination with the cursor 401. These lens controlelements, corresponding icons, and their effects on the characteristicsof a lens 410 are described below with reference to FIG. 4.

In general, when a lens 410 is selected by a point and click operation,bounding rectangle icons 411, 421 are displayed surrounding the base 412and focal region 420 of the selected lens 410 to indicate that the lens410 has been selected. With respect to the bounding rectangles 411, 421one might view them as glass windows enclosing the lens base 412 andfocal region 420, respectively. The bounding rectangles 411, 421 includehandle icons 481, 482, 491, 492 allowing for direct manipulation of theenclosed base 412 and focal region 420 as will be explained below. Thus,the bounding rectangles 411, 421 not only inform the user that the lens410 has been selected, but also provide the user with indications as towhat manipulation operations might be possible for the selected lens 410though use of the displayed handles 481, 482, 491, 492. Note that it iswell within the scope of the present invention to provide a boundingregion having a shape other than generally rectangular. Such a boundingregion could be of any of a great number of shapes including oblong,oval, ovoid, conical, cubic, cylindrical, polyhedral, spherical, etc.

Moreover, the cursor 401 provides a visual cue indicating the nature ofan available lens control element. As such, the cursor 401 willgenerally change in form by simply pointing to a different lens controlicon 450, 412, 411, 421, 481, 482, 491, 492, 440. For example, whenresizing the base 412 of a lens 410 using a corner handle 491, thecursor 401 will change form to a resize icon 490 once it is pointed at(i.e. positioned over) the corner handle 491. The cursor 401 will remainin the form of the resize icon 490 until the cursor 401 has been movedaway from the corner handle 491.

Lateral movement of a lens 410 is provided by the move lens controlelement of the GUI 400. This functionality is accomplished by the userfirst selecting the lens 410 through a point and click operation. Then,the user points to a point within the lens 410 that is other than apoint lying on a lens control icon 450, 412, 411, 421, 481, 482, 491,492, 440. When the cursor 401 is so located, a move icon 460 isdisplayed over the lens 410 to replace the cursor 401 or may bedisplayed in combination with the cursor 401. The move icon 460 not onlyinforms the user that the lens 410 may be moved, but also provides theuser with indications as to what movement operations are possible forthe selected lens 410. For example, the move icon 460 may includearrowheads indicating up, down, left, and right motion. Next, the lens410 is moved by a click and drag operation in which the user clicks anddrags the lens 410 to the desired position on the screen 340 and thenreleases the mouse button 310. The lens 410 is locked in its newposition until a further pickup and move operation is performed.

Lateral movement of a lens 410 is also provided by the pickup lenscontrol element of the GUI. This functionality is accomplished by theuser first selecting the lens 410 through a point and click operation.As mentioned above, when the lens 410 is selected a pickup icon 450 isdisplayed over the lens 410 near the centre of the lens 410. Typically,the pickup icon 450 will be a crosshairs. In addition, a base outline412 is displayed over the lens 410 representing the base 412 of the lens410. The crosshairs 450 and lens outline 412 not only inform the userthat the lens has been selected, but also provides the user with anindication as to the pickup operation that is possible for the selectedlens 410. Next, the user points at the crosshairs 450 with the cursor401. Then, the lens outline 412 is moved by a click and drag operationin which the user clicks and drags the crosshairs 450 to the desiredposition on the screen 340 and then releases the mouse button 310. Thefull lens 410 is then moved to the new position and is locked thereuntil a further pickup operation is performed. In contrast to the moveoperation described above, with the pickup operation, it is the outline412 of the lens 410 that the user repositions rather than the full lens410.

Resizing of the base 412 (or outline) of a lens 410 is provided by theresize base lens control element of the GUI. After the lens 410 isselected, a bounding rectangle icon 411 is displayed surrounding thebase 412. For a rectangular shaped base 412, the bounding rectangle icon411 may be coextensive with the perimeter of the base 412. The boundingrectangle 411 includes handles 491, 492. These handles 491, 492 can beused to stretch the base 412 taller or shorter, wider or narrower, orproportionally larger or smaller. The corner handles 491 will keep theproportions the same while changing the size. The middle handles 492(see FIG. 6) will make the base 412 taller or shorter, wider ornarrower. Resizing the base 412 by the corner handles 491 will keep thebase 412 in proportion. Resizing the base 412 by the middle handles 492will change the proportions of the base 412. That is, the middle handles492 change the aspect ratio of the base 412 (i.e. the ratio between theheight and the width of the bounding rectangle 411 of the base 412).When a user points at a handle 491, 492 with the cursor 401 a resizeicon 490 may be displayed over the handle 491, 492 to replace the cursor401 or may be displayed in combination with the cursor 401. The resizeicon 490 not only informs the user that the handle 491, 492 may beselected, but also provides the user with indications as to the resizingoperations that are possible with the selected handle. For example, theresize icon 490 for a corner handle 491 may include arrows indicatingproportional resizing. The resize icon (not shown) for a middle handle492 may include arrows indicating width resizing or height resizing.After pointing at the desired handle 491, 492 the user would click anddrag the handle 491, 492 until the desired shape and size for the base412 is reached. Once the desired shape and size are reached, the userwould release the mouse button 310. The base 412 of the lens 410 is thenlocked in its new size and shape until a further base resize operationis performed.

Resizing of the focal region 420 of a lens 410 is provided by the resizefocus lens control element of the GUI. After the lens 410 is selected, abounding rectangle icon 421 is displayed surrounding the focal region420. For a rectangular shaped focal region 420, the bounding rectangleicon 421 may be coextensive with the perimeter of the focal region 420.The bounding rectangle 421 includes handles 481, 482. These handles 481,482 can be used to stretch the focal region 420 taller or shorter, wideror narrower, or proportionally larger or smaller. The corner handles 481will keep the proportions the same while changing the size. The middlehandles 482 will make the focal region 420 taller or shorter, wider ornarrower. Resizing the focal region 420 by the corner handles 481 willkeep the focal region 420 in proportion. Resizing the focal region 420by the middle handles 482 will change the proportions of the focalregion 420. That is, the middle handles 482 change the aspect ratio ofthe focal region 420 (i.e. the ratio between the height and the width ofthe bounding rectangle 421 of the focal region 420). When a user pointsat a handle 481, 482 with the cursor 401 a resize icon 480 may bedisplayed over the handle 481, 482 to replace the cursor 401 or may bedisplayed in combination with the cursor 401. The resize icon 480 notonly informs the user that a handle 481, 482 may be selected, but alsoprovides the user with indications as to the resizing operations thatare possible with the selected handle. For example, the resize icon 480for a corner handle 481 may include arrows indicating proportionalresizing. The resize icon 480 for a middle handle 482 may include arrowsindicating width resizing or height resizing. After pointing at thedesired handle 481, 482, the user would click and drag the handle 481,482 until the desired shape and size for the focal region 420 isreached. Once the desired shape and size are reached, the user wouldrelease the mouse button 310. The focal region 420 is then locked in itsnew size and shape until a further focus resize operation is performed.

Folding of the focal region 420 of a lens 410 is provided by the foldcontrol element of the GUI. In general, control of the degree anddirection of folding (i.e. skewing of the viewer aligned vector 231 asdescribed by Carpendale) is accomplished by a click and drag operationon a point 471, other than a handle 481, 482, on the bounding rectangle421 surrounding the focal region 420. The direction of folding isdetermined by the direction in which the point 471 is dragged. Thedegree of folding is determined by the magnitude of the translation ofthe cursor 401 during the drag. In general, the direction and degree offolding corresponds to the relative displacement of the focus 420 withrespect to the lens base 410. In other words, and referring to FIG. 2,the direction and degree of folding corresponds to the displacement ofthe point FP 233 relative to the point FPo 232, where the vector joiningthe points FPo 232 and FP 233 defines the viewer aligned vector 231. Inparticular, after the lens 410 is selected, a bounding rectangle icon421 is displayed surrounding the focal region 420. The boundingrectangle 421 includes handles 481, 482. When a user points at a point471, other than a handle 481, 482, on the bounding rectangle 421surrounding the focal region 420 with the cursor 401, a fold icon 470may be displayed over the point 471 to replace the cursor 401 or may bedisplayed in combination with the cursor 401. The fold icon 470 not onlyinforms the user that a point 471 on the bounding rectangle 421 may beselected, but also provides the user with indications as to what foldoperations are possible. For example, the fold icon 470 may includearrowheads indicating up, down, left, and right motion. By choosing apoint 471, other than a handle 481, 482, on the bounding rectangle 421 auser may control the degree and direction of folding. To control thedirection of folding, the user would click on the point 471 and drag inthe desired direction of folding. To control the degree of folding, theuser would drag to a greater or lesser degree in the desired directionof folding. Once the desired direction and degree of folding is reached,the user would release the mouse button 310. The lens 410 is then lockedwith the selected fold until a further fold operation is performed.

Magnification of the lens 410 is provided by the magnify lens controlelement of the GUI. After the lens 410 is selected, the magnify controlis presented to the user as a slide bar icon 440 near or adjacent to thelens 410 and typically to one side of the lens 410. Sliding the bar 441of the slide bar 440 results in a proportional change in themagnification of the lens 410. The slide bar 440 not only informs theuser that magnification of the lens 410 may be selected, but alsoprovides the user with an indication as to what level of magnificationis possible. The slide bar 440 includes a bar 441 that may be slid upand down, or left and right, to adjust and indicate the level ofmagnification. To control the level of magnification, the user wouldclick on the bar 441 of the slide bar 440 and drag in the direction ofdesired magnification level. Once the desired level of magnification isreached, the user would release the mouse button 310. The lens 410 isthen locked with the selected magnification until a furthermagnification operation is performed. In general, the focal region 420is an area of the lens 410 having constant magnification (i.e. if thefocal region is a plane). Again referring to FIGS. 1 and 2,magnification of the focal region 420, 233 varies inversely with thedistance from the focal region 420, 233 to the reference view plane(RVP) 201. Magnification of areas lying in the shoulder region 430 ofthe lens 410 also varies inversely with their distance from the RVP 201.Thus, magnification of areas lying in the shoulder region 430 will rangefrom unity at the base 412 to the level of magnification of the focalregion 420.

Zoom functionality is provided by the zoom lens control element of theGUI. Referring to FIG. 2, the zoom lens control element, for example,allows a user to quickly navigate to a region of interest 233 within acontinuous view of a larger presentation 210 and then zoom in to thatregion of interest 233 for detailed viewing or editing. Referring toFIG. 4, the combined presentation area covered by the focal region 420and shoulder region 430 and surrounded by the base 412 may be referredto as the “extent of the lens”. Similarly, the presentation area coveredby the focal region 420 may be referred to as the “extent of the focalregion”. The extent of the lens may be indicated to a user by a basebounding rectangle 411 when the lens 410 is selected. The extent of thelens may also be indicated by an arbitrarily shaped figure that boundsor is coincident with the perimeter of the base 412. Similarly, theextent of the focal region may be indicated by a second boundingrectangle 421 or arbitrarily shaped figure. The zoom lens controlelement allows a user to: (a) “zoom in” to the extent of the focalregion such that the extent of the focal region fills the display screen340 (i.e. “zoom to focal region extent”); (b) “zoom in” to the extent ofthe lens such that the extent of the lens fills the display screen 340(i.e. “zoom to lens extent”); or, (c) “zoom in” to the area lyingoutside of the extent of the focal region such that the area without thefocal region is magnified to the same level as the extent of the focalregion (i.e. “zoom to scale”).

In particular, after the lens 410 is selected, a bounding rectangle icon411 is displayed surrounding the base 412 and a bounding rectangle icon421 is displayed surrounding the focal region 420. Zoom functionality isaccomplished by the user first selecting the zoom icon 495 through apoint and click operation When a user selects zoom functionality, a zoomcursor icon 496 may be displayed to replace the cursor 401 or may bedisplayed in combination with the cursor 401. The zoom cursor icon 496provides the user with indications as to what zoom operations arepossible. For example, the zoom cursor icon 496 may include a magnifyingglass. By choosing a point within the extent of the focal region, withinthe extent of the lens, or without the extent of the lens, the user maycontrol the zoom function. To zoom in to the extent of the focal regionsuch that the extent of the focal region fills the display screen 340(i.e. “zoom to focal region extent”), the user would point and clickwithin the extent of the focal region. To zoom in to the extent of thelens such that the extent of the lens fills the display screen 340 (i.e.“zoom to lens extent”), the user would point and click within the extentof the lens. Or, to zoom in to the presentation area without the extentof the focal region, such that the area without the extent of the focalregion is magnified to the same level as the extent of the focal region(i.e. “zoom to scale”), the user would point and click without theextent of the lens. After the point and click operation is complete, thepresentation is locked with the selected zoom until a further zoomoperation is performed.

Alternatively, rather than choosing a point within the extent of thefocal region, within the extent of the lens, or without the extent ofthe lens to select the zoom function, a zoom function menu with multipleitems (not shown) or multiple zoom function icons (not shown) may beused for zoom function selection. The zoom function menu may bepresented as a pull-down menu. The zoom function icons may be presentedin a toolbar or adjacent to the lens 410 when the lens is selected.Individual zoom function menu items or zoom function icons may beprovided for each of the “zoom to focal region extent”, “zoom to lensextent”, and “zoom to scale” functions described above. In thisalternative, after the lens 410 is selected, a bounding rectangle icon411 may be displayed surrounding the base 412 and a bounding rectangleicon 421 may be displayed surrounding the focal region 420. Zoomfunctionality is accomplished by the user selecting a zoom function fromthe zoom function menu or via the zoom function icons using a point andclick operation. In this way, a zoom function may be selected withoutconsidering the position of the cursor 401 within the lens 410.

The concavity or “scoop” of the shoulder region 430 of the lens 410 isprovided by the scoop lens control element of the GUI. After the lens410 is selected, the scoop control is presented to the user as a slidebar icon (not shown) near or adjacent to the lens 410 and typicallybelow the lens 410. Sliding the bar (not shown) of the slide bar resultsin a proportional change in the concavity or scoop of the shoulderregion 430 of the lens 410. The slide bar not only informs the user thatthe shape of the shoulder region 430 of the lens 410 may be selected,but also provides the user with an indication as to what degree ofshaping is possible. The slide bar includes a bar that may be slid leftand right, or up and down, to adjust and indicate the degree ofscooping. To control the degree of scooping, the user would click on thebar of the slide bar and drag in the direction of desired scoopingdegree. Once the desired degree of scooping is reached, the user wouldrelease the mouse button 310. The lens 410 is then locked with theselected scoop until a further scooping operation is performed.

Advantageously, a user may choose to hide one or more lens control icons450, 412, 411, 421, 481, 482, 491, 492, 440, 495 shown in FIG. 4 fromview so as not to impede the user's view of the image within the lens410. This may be helpful, for example, during an editing or moveoperation. A user may select this option through means such as a menu,toolbar, or lens property dialog box.

In addition, the GUI 400 maintains a record of control elementoperations such that the user may restore pre-operation presentations.This record of operations may be accessed by or presented to the userthrough “Undo” and “Redo” icons 497, 498, through a pull-down operationhistory menu (not shown), or through a toolbar.

Thus, detail-in-context data viewing techniques allow a user to viewmultiple levels of detail or resolution on one display 340. Theappearance of the data display or presentation is that of one or morevirtual lenses showing detail 233 within the context of a larger areaview 210. Using multiple lenses in detail-in-context data presentationsmay be used to compare two regions of interest at the same time. Foldingenhances this comparison by allowing the user to pull the regions ofinterest closer together. Moreover, using detail-in-context technologysuch as PDT, an area of interest can be magnified to pixel levelresolution, or to any level of detail available from the sourceinformation, for in-depth review. The digital images may include graphicimages, maps, photographic images, or text documents, and the sourceinformation may be in raster, vector, or text form.

For example, in order to view a selected object or area in detail, auser can define a lens 410 over the object using the GUI 400. The lens410 may be introduced to the original image to form the a presentationthrough the use of a pull-down menu selection, tool bar icon, etc. Usinglens control elements for the GUI 400, such as move, pickup, resizebase, resize focus, fold, magnify, zoom, and scoop, as described above,the user adjusts the lens 410 for detailed viewing of the object orarea. Using the magnify lens control element, for example, the user maymagnify the focal region 420 of the lens 410 to pixel quality resolutionrevealing detailed information pertaining to the selected object orarea. That is, a base image (i.e., the image outside the extent of thelens) is displayed at a low resolution while a lens image (i.e., theimage within the extent of the lens) is displayed at a resolution basedon a user selected magnification 440, 441.

In operation, the data processing system 300 employs EPS techniques withan input device 310 and GUI 400 for selecting objects or areas fordetailed display to a user on a display screen 340. Data representing anoriginal image or representation is received by the CPU 320 of the dataprocessing system 300. Using EPS techniques, the CPU 320 processes thedata in accordance with instructions received from the user via an inputdevice 310 and GUI 400 to produce a detail-in-context presentation. Thepresentation is presented to the user on a display screen 340. It willbe understood that the CPU 320 may apply a transformation to theshoulder region 430 surrounding the region-of-interest 420 to affectblending or folding in accordance with EPS technology. For example, thetransformation may map the region-of-interest 420 and/or shoulder region430 to a predefined lens surface, defined by a transformation ordistortion function and having a variety of shapes, using EPStechniques. Or, the lens 410 may be simply coextensive with theregion-of-interest 420.

The lens control elements of the GUI 400 are adjusted by the user via aninput device 310 to control the characteristics of the lens 410 in thedetail-in-context presentation. Using an input device 310 such as amouse, a user adjusts parameters of the lens 410 using icons and scrollbars of the GUI 400 that are displayed over the lens 410 on the displayscreen 340. The user may also adjust parameters of the image of the fullscene. Signals representing input device 310 movements and selectionsare transmitted to the CPU 320 of the data processing system 300 wherethey are translated into instructions for lens control.

Moreover, the lens 410 may be added to the presentation before or afterthe object or area is selected. That is, the user may first add a lens410 to a presentation or the user may move a pre-existing lens intoplace over the selected object or area. The lens 410 may be introducedto the original image to form the presentation through the use of apull-down menu selection, tool bar icon, etc.

Advantageously, by using a detail-in-context lens 410 to select anobject or area for detailed information gathering, a user can view alarge area (i.e., outside the extent of the lens 410) while focusing inon a smaller area (or within the focal region 420 of the lens 410)surrounding the selected object. This makes it possible for a user toaccurately gather detailed information without losing visibility orcontext of the portion of the original image surrounding the selectedobject.

Now, current detail-in-context lenses (such as those described above andin U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,768,497 and 6,798,412) generally function as“simplex” lenses in that only a single view or representation of data ina primary region-of-interest is presented through the lens (e.g., in thefocal region 420 of the lens 410), albeit with a continuous transition(e.g., through the shoulder region 430) into the surrounding context.However, a user (e.g., an analyst or decision maker) may have the needto access and analyze a set of information from a variety of sourcesrelated to the region-of-interest. To satisfy this need, according toone aspect of the present invention, a method is provided for displayingdata from multiple sources in a single compound detail-in-context lenspresentation. According another aspect of the present invention,“compound” lenses with multifaceted surfaces are provided. FIGS. 5 and 6shows such a compound lens with multiple imagery facets.

In particular, FIG. 5 is a screen capture illustrating adetail-in-context presentation 500 for multi-source data, thepresentation 500 having a compound lens 510 and associated GUI 400, inaccordance with an embodiment of the invention. And, FIG. 6 is a detailview illustrating the compound lens 510 of FIG. 5. The lens 510 shown inFIGS. 5 and 6 is much like the compound eyes of insects such asStrepsiptera, which are composed of a number of “eyelets”. The focalregion 520 of the compound lens 510 is divided into a number of eyeletsor facets 521, 522, 523, 524, 525, 526. According to one embodiment, theshoulder region 530 of the compound lens may also be divided into anumber of eyelets or facets (e.g., 531, 532). Each facet (e.g., 525) ofthe compound lens 510 may be used to present a different aspect or layerof an original multi-source data set or image. For example, the compoundlens 510 may present down-sampled raster images from differentmodalities or available image spectra, and/or simplified representationsof data such as iconic or symbolic representations.

The compound lens 510 in FIG. 5 has been applied to an original digitalmap image 501 to produce the illustrated presentation 500. The originalimage 501 may have a number of layers associated with it (e.g., streetnames, underground plant, zoning, etc.). In addition, the original image501 may have images, information, or data associated with it from otherdata sources. For example, the original map image 501 of FIG. 5 shows anarea of a city located near a body of water. Associated with this mapimage 501 may be data sources related to travel, for example. Thus, asshown in FIG. 6, each facet 521, 522, 523, 524, 525, 526 of the focalregion 520 of the lens 510 may show a different means of travel or atravel related scene or aspect from the area that the map 501 covers(e.g., a bird in flight 521, a lighthouse 522, a bridge 523, a portscene 524, an aircraft in flight 525, a landscape scene 526). Accordingto one embodiment, facets 531, 532 for displaying images and data fromadditional sources may also be included in the shoulder region 530 ofthe lens 510.

According to one embodiment, when a user selects a particular eyelet orfacet (e.g., 525), the compound lens 510 transitions to a simplex lens(e.g., 410) in which the image or data in the facet of interest 525subsumes or is displayed over the entire lensed area (e.g., the focalregion 520, the shoulder region 530, or both). For example, if a userselects the aircraft facet 525, the simplex lens may display a larger ormore detailed image of the aircraft alone.

As mentioned above, each facet (e.g., 525) of the compound lens 510 mayinclude a down-sampled raster image and/or a simplified representation(e.g., an iconic or symbolic representation) of the original data sourceassociated with the facet. For example, the image of the aircraft inflight 525 in the compound lens 510 may be a down-sampled raster imageof an original image of the aircraft in flight. According to oneembodiment, in such circumstances, the simplex lens for the selectedfacet (e.g., 525) may display the data source associated with the facetin its native, photorealistic, or original state rather than indown-sampled or simplified form. Thus, for example, the simplex lens maydisplay the original, non-down-sampled, image of the aircraft in flight.

According to one embodiment, the transition from compound lens 510 tosimplex lens by be reversible by the user on demand (e.g., by selectionfrom a menu, tool bar, etc.). According to another embodiment, thetransition between Compound and simplex lens may be driven or triggeredby incoming alert messages received by the data processing system 300 orfrom information messages received from collaborators (i.e., fromexternal systems).

The above embodiments are illustrated in FIGS. 7 and 8. FIG. 7 is ascreen capture illustrating an alternate detail-in-context presentation700 for multi-source data, the presentation 700 having a compound lens710 and associated GUI 400, in accordance with an embodiment of theinvention. And, FIG. 8 is a screen capture illustrating adetail-in-context presentation 800 for multi-source data, thepresentation 800 having a simplex lens 810 and associated GUI 400 for aselected facet 724 of the compound lens 710 of FIG. 7, in accordancewith an embodiment of the invention. In FIGS. 7 and 8, the originalimage 701 is a mosaic of individual images 702 where each individualimage may have its own data source. In FIG. 7, the focal region 720 ofthe compound lens 710 has four facets 721, 722, 723, 724. One selectedfacet 724 presents an image of windsurfer in flight. In FIG. 8, asimplex lens 810 is shown for the selected facet 724 of FIG. 7. In FIG.8, the image of the windsurfer from the selected facet 724 of FIG. 7covers the entirety of the focal and shoulder regions 820, 830 of thesimplex lens 810.

The above described method may be summarized with the aid of aflowchart. FIG. 9 is a flow chart illustrating operations 900 ofsoftware modules 331 within the memory 330 of a data processing system300 for generating a presentation 500 of a region-of-interest in anoriginal image for display on a display screen 340, the original imagehaving one or more images relating to the region-of-interest, inaccordance with an embodiment of the invention.

At step 901, the operations 900 start.

At step 902, a lens 510 is established for the region-of-interest, thelens having a focal region 520 with a magnification for theregion-of-interest at least partially surrounded by a shoulder region530 across which the magnification varies to provide a continuoustransition from the focal region 520 to regions (e.g., 210 in FIG. 2)outside the lens 510.

At step 903, the focal region 520 is subdivided into one or more facets521, 522, 523, 524, 525, 526, each facet (e.g., 525) for displaying arespective image relating to the region-of-interest.

At step 904, the lens 510 is applied to the original image to producethe presentation 500.

At step 905, the operations 900 end.

The method may further include subdividing the shoulder region 530 intoone or more additional facets 531, 532 for one or more respectiveadditional images relating to the region-of-interest. The method mayfurther include simplifying for display in at least one facet (e.g.,525), the respective image relating to the region-of-interest. Thesimplifying may be at least one of down-sampling and symbolizing. Themethod may further include: receiving a signal indicating a selection ofa facet (e.g., 525, 724); and, displaying the image relating to theregion-of-interest for the facet 525, 724 over an entirety of at leastone of the focal region 520, 820 and the shoulder region 530, 830. Thesignal may be at least one of an alarm signal received from an externalsystem, an information signal received from an external collaboratingsystem, and a user selection signal received from a pointing device 310manipulated by a user. The method may further include displaying thepresentation 500 on the display screen 340. The lens 510 may be asurface. The focal region 520 may have a size and a shape and the methodmay further include receiving one or more signals to adjust at least oneof the size, shape, and magnification of the focal region 520. Themethod may further include receiving the one or more signals through agraphical user interface (“GUI”) 400 displayed over the lens 510. TheGUI 400 may have means for adjusting at least one of the size, shape,and magnification of the focal region. At least some of the means may beicons 481, 482, 491, 492, 440, 441. The means for adjusting the size andshape may be at least one handle icon 481, 482 positioned on theperimeter 421 of the focal region 420, 520. The means for adjusting themagnification may be a slide bar icon 440, 441. The method may furtherinclude receiving the one or more signals from a pointing device 310manipulated by a user. The pointing device 310 may be at least one of amouse, a trackball, and a keyboard. The shoulder region 530 may have asize and a shape and the method may further include receiving one ormore signals through a GUI 400 displayed over the lens to adjust atleast one of the size and shape of the shoulder region 530, wherein theGUI 400 has one or more handle icons 491, 492 positioned on theperimeter 411 of the shoulder region 530 for adjusting at least one ofthe size and the shape of the shoulder region 530. And, the step ofapplying 904 the lens 510 to the original image to produce thepresentation 500 may further include displacing the original image ontothe lens 510 and perspectively projecting the displacing onto a plane201 in a direction 231 aligned with a viewpoint 240 for theregion-of-interest.

While this invention is primarily discussed as a method, a person ofordinary skill in the art will understand that the apparatus discussedabove with reference to a data processing system 300, may be programmedto enable the practice of the method of the invention. Moreover, anarticle of manufacture for use with a data processing system 300, suchas a pre-recorded storage device or other similar computer readablemedium including program instructions recorded thereon, may direct thedata processing system 300 to facilitate the practice of the method ofthe invention. It is understood that such apparatus and articles ofmanufacture also come within the scope of the invention.

In particular, the sequences of instructions which when executed causethe method described herein to be performed by the data processingsystem 300 of FIG. 3 can be contained in a data carrier productaccording to one embodiment of the invention. This data carrier productcan be loaded into and run by the data processing system 300 of FIG. 3.In addition, the sequences of instructions which when executed cause themethod described herein to be performed by the data processing system300 of FIG. 3 can be contained in a computer software product accordingto one embodiment of the invention. This computer software product canbe loaded into and run by the data processing system 300 of FIG. 3.Moreover, the sequences of instructions which when executed cause themethod described herein to be performed by the data processing system300 of FIG. 3 can be contained in an integrated circuit productincluding a coprocessor or memory according to one embodiment of theinvention. This integrated circuit product can be installed in the dataprocessing system 300 of FIG. 3.

The embodiments of the invention described above are intended to beexemplary only. The scope of the invention is therefore intended to belimited solely by the scope of the appended claims.

1. A method comprising: displaying an appearance of a lens in an image,wherein the appearance of the lens includes: a focal region having amagnification and a plurality of facets, a base defining an extent ofthe appearance of the lens in the image, and a shoulder region betweenthe focal region and the base, wherein the shoulder region providescontext for the focal region with respect to portions of the imageoutside of the appearance of the lens by preserving visibility ofinformation surrounding the focal region, wherein the plurality offacets display information from a respective plurality of layers of theimage.
 2. The method of claim 1, further comprising transitioning fromthe focal region having the plurality of facets to the focal regionhaving a single facet.
 3. The method of claim 2, further comprisingreceiving a signal indicating a selection of one of the plurality offacets, wherein information displayed in the selected facet isrepresented in the single facet.
 4. The method of claim 3, wherein theinformation displayed in the selected facet comprises at least one of adown-sampled image or a simplified representation, and wherein theinformation displayed in the single facet comprises at least one of anon-down-sampled image or a native image.
 5. The method of claim 1,wherein the shoulder region further comprises a plurality of facets. 6.The method of claim 5, further comprising transitioning from the focalregion having the plurality of facets to the focal region having asingle facet; and transitioning from the shoulder region having theplurality of facets to the shoulder region having a single facet.
 7. Themethod of claim 1, wherein the plurality of layers comprise at least twoof a street name layer, an underground plant layer, or a zoning layer.8. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of facets displaysinformation from data sources other than the plurality of layers,wherein the data sources relate to travel.
 9. A data processing systemcomprising a processor and memory having instructions that areexecutable by the processor to cause the data processing system toperform operations comprising: displaying an appearance of a lens in animage, wherein the appearance of the lens includes: a focal regionhaving a magnification and a plurality of facets, a base defining anextent of the appearance of the lens in the image, and a shoulder regionbetween the focal region and the base, wherein the shoulder regionprovides context for the focal region with respect to portions of theimage outside of the appearance of the lens by preserving visibility ofinformation surrounding the focal region, wherein the plurality offacets display information from a respective plurality of layers of theimage.
 10. The data processing system of claim 9, wherein theinstructions are executable by the processor to further cause the dataprocessing system to perform operations comprising transitioning fromthe focal region having the plurality of facets to the focal regionhaving a single facet.
 11. The data processing system of claim 10,wherein the instructions are executable by the processor to furthercause the data processing system to perform operations comprisingreceiving a signal indicating a selection of one of the plurality offacets, wherein information displayed in the selected facet isrepresented in the single facet.
 12. The data processing system of claim11, wherein the information displayed in the selected facet comprises atleast one of a down-sampled image or a simplified representation, andwherein the information displayed in the single facet comprises at leastone of a non-down-sampled image or a native image.
 13. The dataprocessing system of claim 9, wherein the shoulder region furthercomprises a plurality of facets.
 14. The data processing system of claim9, wherein the plurality of layers comprise at least two of a streetname layer, an underground plant layer, or a zoning layer.
 15. Acomputer-readable medium including instructions executable to cause adata processing system to: display an appearance of a lens in an image,wherein the appearance of the lens includes: a focal region having amagnification and a plurality of facets, a base defining an extent ofthe appearance of the lens in the image, and a shoulder region betweenthe focal region and the base, wherein the shoulder region providescontext for the focal region with respect to portions of the imageoutside of the appearance of the lens by preserving visibility ofinformation surrounding the focal region, wherein the plurality offacets display information from a respective plurality of layers of theimage.
 16. The computer-readable medium of claim 15, further includinginstructions executable to cause the data processing system totransition from the focal region having the plurality of facets to thefocal region having a single facet.
 17. The computer-readable medium ofclaim 16, further including instructions executable to cause the dataprocessing system to receive a signal indicating a selection of one ofthe plurality of facets, wherein information displayed in the selectedfacet is represented in the single facet.
 18. The computer-readablemedium of claim 17, wherein the information displayed in the selectedfacet comprises at least one of a down-sampled image or a simplifiedrepresentation, and wherein the information displayed in the singlefacet comprises at least one of a non-down-sampled image or a nativeimage.
 19. The computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein theshoulder region further comprises a plurality of facets.
 20. Thecomputer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the plurality of layerscomprise at least two of a street name layer, an underground plantlayer, or a zoning layer.